Stephen Lewis, On the Buses' 'Blakey', dies aged 88 - BBC News BBC News Stephen Lewis, On the Buses' 'Blakey', dies aged 88 14 August 2015 Close share panel Image copyright Rex Features Image caption Lewis played Inspector Cyril Blake in more than 70 episodes of On the Buses Actor Stephen Lewis, best known for his role as officious inspector "Blakey" in the 1970s ITV sitcom On the Buses, has died aged 88, his family has announced. Lewis also played "Smiler" in the BBC's Last of the Summer Wine. Born in east London in 1926, he got his start at the Theatre Royal Stratford East under Joan Littlewood. According to his family, the actor died "quite peacefully" in a nursing home in Wanstead, east London, in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Image copyright PA Image caption As "Blakey", Lewis was forever clashing with Reg Varney's wily Stan Butler (middle) In his role as Inspector Cyril "Blakey" Blake, Lewis constantly clashed, and was usually outwitted by, Reg Varney's wily bus driver Stan Butler.

One of his catchphrases was "I'll get you for this, Butler" - one he was happy to repeat, according to the manager of the nursing home where he lived out his final years. Media captionIn 2002 Stephen Lewis and Eddie Butler promoted concessionary bus travel in Wales The popular sitcom ran from 1969 to 1973 and spawned three big-screen spin-offs: On the Buses, Mutiny on the Buses and Holiday on the Buses. Lewis's other sitcoms included Don't Drink the Water, On the Buses' short-lived, Spain-based sequel, and the BBC's railway-themed Oh, Doctor Beeching! Image caption Lewis played "Smiler" in Last of the Summer Wine for almost 20 years He also appeared as Clem "Smiler" Hemmingway in more than 130 episodes of Last of the Summer Wine, starting in 1988 and continuing until 2007. Lewis wrote Sparrers (later Sparrows) Can't Sing, a success for Littlewood's Theatre Workshop that gave Barbara Windsor one of her most notable early roles.

Peter Lewis, the actor's nephew, said his uncle's health had gradually deteriorated in recent years but that he had kept his spirits up right until the end. "He still had his sense of humour, very much so," said Rashid Ebrahimkhan, manager of the Cambridge Nursing Home. "He was very resilient until the last." “I hate you Butler”: Obituary for Reg Varney – The Website of Chris Allen | Bigmouth Being the 70’s British sitcom afficionado that I am, I was saddened to hear of the death of Reg Varney at the age of 92 earlier this week. Best known and most loved in his role as the cheeky chappie Cockney bus driver in the ITV series ‘On the Buses‘, Varney starred in most of the series’ 74 episodes and each of the three spin-off films (the first in the series – ‘On the Buses’ – was more successful at the British box office at the time than the then current James Bond movie, ‘Diamonds are Forever’). In the series, Stan Butler (Varney) worked as a bus driver for the Luxton & District Traction Company.

Starring as an eligible bachelor, Butler lived at home with his bingo-loving, widowed and overbearing mother (Cicely Courtneidge, later Doris Hare), his frumpy (and iconic) sister, Olive (Anna Karen), and his lazy brother in law, Arthur (Michael Robbins). The bane of Stan’s life was the hapless and increasingly neurotic bus Inspector, Cyril “Blakey” Blake (Stephen Lewis), whose job it was to check up on Butler and his conductor and best friend, the cheerful, bucktoothed Jack Harper (Bob Grant). Across the spectrum of the different episodes, Blakey often threatened them with the sack for lateness and untidiness as well as a whole host of other things. Given that the series aired in the 1970s, there was probably no coincidence whatsoever that Blakey sported a short toothbrush moustache very much in the image of Adolf Hitler. His catchphrases of “I hate you Butler!” and “You’ve made my day” maintain a warmth and resonance with those – like myself – of a certain age.

Born in Canning Town in the East End of London to a working- class family, Varney’s father was a semi-skilled tyre-factory worker, who encouraged his son’s ambitions. However, it is alleged that he also once told the young Varney’s uncle not to applaud him when he was doing a music-hall routine at home, or the boy might “start to behave silly”. Interestingly, close friends of Varney have recalled how he was rarely ever ‘silly’ except of course for professional purposes. Indeed, despite his public cheeky chappie persona, he later confessed to having to psych himself up before going on stage and screen. Having, like so many of his peers at the time, entered into show-business via the music halls, Varney turned to television once he realised that his comedy routines were decreasingly in demand. Struggling at first to highlight his comedy potential to a variety of television producers, he employed that other well known 70s comedy legend, Benny Hill as his straight man in a music-hall double act.

Still struggling to find a break, when a few years later he was driving back from Scotland having tried once more to reinvigorate his one-man show, Varney saw Hill’s name on a show placard in huge letters. Whilst never begrudging Hill his success, he told friends at the time that if things did not get better soon he would leave show-business altogether and run a pub. ‘On the Buses’ gave Varney that break and with it came fame. Exported all around the world the only apparent corner of the world where it wasn’t a success was on the east coast of the United States where his Cockney accent was alleged to mystify viewers. Without doubt, ‘On the Buses’ was and indeed will remain an icon of British television in the 1970s; an icon of British comedy; and in the character of Stan Butler, Varney will always be remembered as an iconic British comedy character. ‘I hate you Butler’: definitely not. Everything on this site by Chris Allen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 2.0 UK: England & Wales License . .

Share this: Stephen Lewis, On the Buses' 'Blakey', dies aged 88 - BBC News BBC News Stephen Lewis, On the Buses' 'Blakey', dies aged 88 14 August 2015 Close share panel Image copyright Rex Features Image caption Lewis played Inspector Cyril Blake in more than 70 episodes of On the Buses Actor Stephen Lewis, best known for his role as officious inspector "Blakey" in the 1970s ITV sitcom On the Buses, has died aged 88, his family has announced. Lewis also played "Smiler" in the BBC's Last of the Summer Wine. Born in east London in 1926, he got his start at the Theatre Royal Stratford East under Joan Littlewood. According to his family, the actor died "quite peacefully" in a nursing home in Wanstead, east London, in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Image copyright PA Image caption As "Blakey", Lewis was forever clashing with Reg Varney's wily Stan Butler (middle) In his role as Inspector Cyril "Blakey" Blake, Lewis constantly clashed, and was usually outwitted by, Reg Varney's wily bus driver Stan Butler. One of his catchphrases was "I'll get you for this, Butler" - one he was happy to repeat, according to the manager of the nursing home where he lived out his final years. Media captionIn 2002 Stephen Lewis and Eddie Butler promoted concessionary bus travel in Wales The popular sitcom ran from 1969 to 1973 and spawned three big-screen spin-offs: On the Buses, Mutiny on the Buses and Holiday on the Buses. Lewis's other sitcoms included Don't Drink the Water, On the Buses' short-lived, Spain-based sequel, and the BBC's railway-themed Oh, Doctor Beeching!

Image caption Lewis played "Smiler" in Last of the Summer Wine for almost 20 years He also appeared as Clem "Smiler" Hemmingway in more than 130 episodes of Last of the Summer Wine, starting in 1988 and continuing until 2007. Lewis wrote Sparrers (later Sparrows) Can't Sing, a success for Littlewood's Theatre Workshop that gave Barbara Windsor one of her most notable early roles. Peter Lewis, the actor's nephew, said his uncle's health had gradually deteriorated in recent years but that he had kept his spirits up right until the end. "He still had his sense of humour, very much so," said Rashid Ebrahimkhan, manager of the Cambridge Nursing Home. "He was very resilient until the last." On The Buses star 'Blakey' dies aged 88 | UK | News | Daily Express UK ‘Blakey’ from On The Buses dies aged 88 ACTOR Stephen Lewis, best known as Inspector “Blakey” Blake in TV’s On the Buses, has died aged 88.

21:08, Thu, Aug 13, 2015 | UPDATED: 21:21, Thu, Aug 13, 2015 EX Actor Stephen Lewis died aged 88 His family said he passed peacefully away in the early hours of Wednesday in an east London care home. Unlike the miserable character he became famous for playing, he was raising laughs right up to the end. Lewis’s great niece, Rebecca Lewis, said he was “in high spirits”, adding: “He was always singing and joking”. His antics included repeating the catchphrases of the cantankerous Inspector Cyril Blake, whom he played in On the Buses from 1969 to 1973. Residents in the Cambridge Nursing Home in Wanstead regularly heard him shout “I’ll get you for this, Butler” and “Get these buses out, Butler”, according to the manager Rashid Ebrahimkhan. He said: “He still had his sense of humour – very much so – like he was in On The Buses. He was very resilient until the last.” Born in Poplar in east London, Lewis got his start at the Theatre Royal Stratford East under director Joan Littlewood.

Related articles EX Actor Stephen Lewis during the show He still had his sense of humour – very much so – like he was in On The Buses. He was very resilient until the last Rashid Ebrahimkhan But it will be as Blakey, the officious inspector for The Luxton & District Traction Company, that he will be best remembered. Blakey was the bane of the life of cheeky bus driver Stan Butler, played by the late Reg Varney, often checking up on him and threatening him with the sack for lateness. He featured in all four series of the hit ITV sitcom, which spawned three big-screen spin-offs, On the Buses, Mutiny on the Buses and Holiday on the Buses. Lewis’s performance as Blakey was so popular that he earned his own spin-off series in 1974. Don’t Drink The Water followed Inspector Blake’s adventures in Spain with sister Dorothy, played by Pat Coombes, after his retirement from the bus company. Lewis, also known for playing Nora Batty’s long-suffering tenant Clem “Smiler” Hemmingway in Last of the Summer Wine, had been in the home for around three years along with his real sister Connie, 84.

Her son Peter Lewis said his uncle’s health had gradually declined over the past few years, but he died “quite peacefully”. He said: “I’ll remember him as being a funny man.” Most read in UK Watch Stephen Lewis' best TV moments: From On the Buses to Last of the Summer Wine - Mirror Online TV Watch Stephen Lewis' best TV moments: From On the Buses to Last of the Summer Wine The sitcom actor - who died yesterday at his nursing home at the age of 88 - shot to fame in On the Buses, but that wasn't his only sitcome. Share Get celebs updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Stephen Lewis left behind him a long and varied career - and a few catchphrases. The sitcom actor - who died yesterday at his nursing home at the age of 88 - shot to fame in On the Buses, but that wasn't his only sitcom. Lewis - who played Inspector Cyril Blakey Blake in the show - also famously portrayed Clem Smiler Hemmingway in Last of the Summer Wine and Harry Lambert in Oh, Doctor Beeching!.

Stephen Lewis as Smiler in Last of the summer wine Alongside a picture of her uncle, his great niece Rebecca wrote: "Sadly my uncle 'Blakey' Stephen Lewis passed away yesterday. Very sad time for family." Rashid Ebrahimkhan, manager of the Cambridge Nursing Home, where Stephen's sister Connie also resides, remembered the actor as still 'quite funny'. He said: "He was still quite funny. MESSAGE BOARD Gladys in the Hammer Film Production 1971 film ,"On the Buses" Gladys was played by actresss Maggie McGrath. You may like to know that Maggie McGrath worked like Red Varney at the Windmill Theatre in the Revudeville revue. Maggie was know as Margaret at the Windmill Theatre and was a Revudebelle. The Revudebelles were a small group of female artistes who did the posing and fan dancing at the Windmill Theatre. Maggie McGrath married the actor Michael Rennie. The Windmill Theatre revue was called Revudeville no.104 which Reg Varney was in and also featured Margaret [Maggie McGrath].

Reg Varney was on the stage in Revudeville no.104 and not in the orchestra pin as well as Revudeville no.103. Below is a 1938 British American cigarette card which dates from then when Margaret was at the Windmill Theatre. Margaret was one of the small group of artistes called Revudebelles and not a Windmill Girl.The Revudebelles did the tableaux. With thanks to Maurice The Caledonian Scribe by Caroline Walker Where you will find TV Quiz Books for 'Dad's Army' and 'Last of The Summer Wine' Plus photos of Caroline's home town Edinburgh What is the connection with this photo and HOLIDAY ON THE BUSES? Answer at the bottom of the page Still making the news! Is it okay for bus drivers to call female passangers babe.

See what you think click the image below On The Buses Stars Stephen Lewis, Bob Grant and Anna Karen all performed at the Windmill Theatre Great Yarmouth A nice SNIPPET from MERIDAN TV about Arthur's 63 years at the same bus company CLICK LINK BELOW 63 Years ON THE BUSES Romany Jones - series 2, release date 23rd January 2012. In this second hit series, the recently married and permanently skint Bert and Betty Jones resume their never-ending search for la dolce vita. But their carefree existence receives a jolt when Betty announces she's expecting a baby and there s further upheaval when Betty and Lily finally rebel against their work-shy spouses, throwing Bert and Wally out of their caravans until they prove they can hold down decent jobs... (This is the last series that James Back and Jo Rowbottom starred in due to the death of James Beck on 06th August 1973, as they were written out of the series).

The last 2 series starred Jonathan Cecil as Jermey Circhton - Jones, and Maureen Sweeney as Susan Circhton - Jones Thanks to Craig Hill Ronald Wolfe and Ronald Chesney Craig at the book signing in Paisley 29th May Thanks to Michael for the photo Craig Author of The Book On the Buses: The Complete Story by Craig Walker was launched on October 3, 2009, at the London Transport Museum, Covent Garden. The book includes: brief synopses of all the episodes and films, crew details, filming locations, and a complete list of the supporting cast.

The forewords are written by Ronald Wolfe and Ronald Chesney Apex Publishing Ltd East Kent Nostalgic Bus & Coach Trust here is a link to a some-what unusal bus video filmed by Gabor Szucs lives in Hungary and is a bus driver Budleigh’s Reg was a superstar Article from the Exmouth Journal Reg Varney, star of 60s sit-coms The Rag Trade and On the Buses – which was shown in 35 countries - he even made it to Hollywood; incredibly the 1971 film of the same name outgrossed both James Bond film Diamonds are Forever and Michael Caine’s gangster flick Get Carter, combined. In fact, he was so famous he was featured as a guest in This is Your Life and opened the world’s first ever cash point! So it is apt that, three years after his death in Budleigh Salterton’s Pinewood Nursing home, after living in Dark Lane for 20 years, fan Tex Fisher has completed his book ‘I ‘Ate You Butler!’- a lovingly crafted book on the series that made Reg a household name across the world, and shot him to superstardom.

And, like the series, the book is laden with appropriately smutty innuendos – one chapter is entitled; ‘Lovely pair of Bristols’ – obviously referring to the couple of Bristol FLF/ FLF6LX Lodekka buses featured in the series. It tells the story of the origins of the series, the cult of personality surrounding Reg Varney and the end of the series after seven seasons. Both adored and panned in equal measure - critics despised the ‘working class humour’ - the comedy followed the life of the skirt-chasing bus driver Stan Butler and his work at the dysfunctional Luxton & District Traction Company, together with conductor best mate Jack Harper and petty martinet Inspector Cyril ‘Blakey’ Blake. Tex said: “I, like all other fans, know the episodes backwards, and can quote lines ad nauseam, but to this day, I have found that the story of how the show came about seems to be hushed up. “There is a book, many fan clubs, and many websites - all devoted to this wonderful show, but nobody has bothered to dig a little deeper into the programme and peek behind the depot doors.

So, 41 years late - here is that story.” It was the late 1960s and, following several classic sitcoms, Ronald Wolfe and Ronald Chesney were looking for a new idea: “We didn’t really have an idea of what we wanted to do,” explains Ronald Chesney. “All we knew was that we wanted to use Reg Varney again, as he had been very good to us in The Rag Trade.” Ronald Wolfe said: “We knew we wanted Reg in the lead. We then thought what this character would do for a living - a shopkeeper, a plumber, an electrician?” “Everything just seemed to fit around a bus driver,” Ronald Chesney said. Reginald Alfred Varney was born in 1916 in Canning Town, London. A keen piano player from an early age, it was his impressive instrumental skills and general showmanship that secured Reg his first public performances. After leaving school at 14, Varney started work as a messenger boy at the Regent Palace Hotel in London, prior to obtaining a paid position as a pianist at the Plumstead Radical Club in Woolwich.

It was this musical talent that helped in the development of Reg’s character, Stan Butler; it is suggested that the character was partly based on crooner Matt Monro, a man commonly referred to as the ‘singing bus driver.’ Being of a similar height and stature, Monro could have been the perfect model for Reg Varney to build his character, and the pair were in fact friends. “Matt and Reg knew each other fairly well,” explained Matt Monro’s daughter, Michele. “They would all see each other on the circuit.” But the two Ronnies insist that there was no deliberate connection; “I think it was just a coincidence.” During the Second World War, Varney served with the Royal Engineers in the Far East, progressing his entertainment repertoire with gang shows and army concerts. This fuelled Varney’s ambition to perform and, following demobilisation, he returned to England, appearing in the revue Gaytime, alongside another future comic Benny Hill. Variety halls led to television, and his first major role, as cutter Reg Turner in The Rag Trade in 1961.

Further television followed, and after a brief hiatus due to a heart attack, Varney added to his success in the 1967 sitcom Beggar My Neighbour. The rise to fame led him to becoming the celebrity of choice to open the world’s first ATM at Barclays, Enfield, in June 1967. Following this, Reg was the first choice for Stan Butler. “He had been our foreman in The Rag Trade, and we knew that his superb experience and charisma would make him a wonderful Stan,” Chesney said. “But Reg was in Australia at the time, so we weren’t sure if he could be in the show. We sent him some details of our idea, and thankfully he was more than happy to do it. I remember the wire we got from him - it just said, ‘Right, I’m learning to drive a bus!’” The Rag Trade Reg was delighted to be offered the job, and was sure the show had potential. “Dad thought it would be a safe bet as it had both work and home life combined,” Varney’s daughter, Jeanne said. “It had the contrast that could give rise to many funny situations.

He was thrilled to be working with the Ronnies again, as he had done The Rag Trade. He considered them to be excellent writers.” While by today’s standards the plot lines were not exactly politically correct but with upwards of 16 million viewers tuning in during the show’s prime, On the Buses swiftly became a staple of British TV and spawned three films. When the turmoil of the working day was over, Stan would retire home to be greeted by his overbearing mother, dowdy, bespectacled sister Olive and her indolent husband. Life was seldom smooth in Luxton. “We just had to have real buses,” explained Ronald Wolfe. “Having real buses just added to the show and made it more realistic. On the Buses could not have happened without buses.” But London’s largest and most respected bus operator, London Transport, wanted no part of the charade. “The director wrote a letter to them and asked to use LT buses,” said Wolfe. “They just came back with a letter saying ‘No’. They thought the idea of us having lazy, work-skiving drivers would give them a bad reputation.

That letter was framed and hung in the office for a while!” Surprisingly, Reg Varney left mid-way through the seventh series - Varney, who had been with the show for an incredible 68 episodes was sad to leave, but felt that the programme was nearing its natural end. “Dad decided the show had had a good enough run by the time he left it,” said Reg’s daughter, Jeanne. “Perhaps the new writers were not so good, but I think he just didn’t want On the Buses to be remembered as being repetitive and less funny, as it surely would have been. Shows have a natural limit and On the Buses had to come to that limit.” Reg did, however, return, along with Michael Robbins, to appear in Holiday On the Buses in 1973. “That film had a very funny script,” added Jeanne.

“It also made a nice goodbye to the series.” In 1975, Reg began concentrating on his own brainchild, a sitcom centring around the life of a fish porter at Billingsgate Market, entitled Down the Gate, however, the series wasn’t a major hit and viewers found it difficult to think of Reg in a new non-bus related, role. “I think there was always a chance of typecasting,” said Jeanne. “Stan had so much of dad in him that it was inevitable. I think dad would have loved to do straight acting, which he was very good at, but he never got the chance. “He did, however, do a lot of work in Australia, which he loved, until he got a heart problem and retired.” Reg suffered his second major heart attack in 1981 and chose to take life at a slower pace afterwards. He returned once more to Australia, a place where he was still very much a celebrity, having co-starred with Billy Raymond in the Channel O production of Rose and Crown which ran for 13 episodes back in 1969, and he toured with his cabaret act to packed theatres across the country.

In 1988, he returned once more to resume his role as Stan in an Australian On the Buses stage play. Soon after his return to England, Reg felt it was time to leave the public spotlight and he retired to his home in Dark Lane, Budleigh Salterton. “He always said he was never stagestruck,” said Jeanne. “He enjoyed his career and his retirement in Devon with my mum.” In 1990, viewers of Wogan were astonished when the full cast of On the Buses assembled on stage to discuss plans for a revival series. At first, Reg Varney walked over to Terry Wogan’s sofa, and after a chat about his early life and career, the rest of the cast joined him to discuss the prospects of Back On the Buses. “The old gang are still incredibly popular,” explained Varney, gaining huge cheers for the audience. To all intents and purposes, a revival of On the Buses seemed to be definitely on the cards. The idea sounded tantalising to fans, but it soon became apparent that the proposed Back On the Buses would not materialise.

Varney took time from his absence in television to write his autobiography, The Little Clown, although a second, promised, volume never appeared. The first one stopped before his time at the Luxton and District Bus Company. He dedicated his time to piano playing and painting. Among his many talents, Reg was a skilled artist. Having remained popular for an astonishing 40 years, with its own series in America and constant reruns in primetime slots around the world, On the Buses maintains its position in the top echelon of the most influential and memorable television series of all time. ● The article has been written thanks to extracts from the book with permission from Tex Fisher. Extracts of the book have been reproduced with thanks to Tex Fisher. Inspector Cyril “Blakey | Belfast Child Stephen Lewis, On the Buses’ ‘Blakey’, dies aged 88 17 December 1926 – 12 August 2015 On the Buses – bye bye blakey. Actor Stephen Lewis, best known for his role as officious inspector “Blakey” in the 1970s ITV sitcom On the Buses, has died aged 88, his family has announced.

Lewis also played “Smiler” in the BBC’s Last of the Summer Wine. Born in east London in 1926, he got his start at the Theatre Royal Stratford East under Joan Littlewood. According to his family, the actor died “quite peacefully” in a nursing home in Wanstead, east London, in the early hours of Wednesday morning. As “Blakey”, Lewis was forever clashing with Reg Varney’s wily Stan Butler (middle) In his role as Inspector Cyril “Blakey” Blake, Lewis constantly clashed, and was usually outwitted by, Reg Varney’s wily bus driver Stan Butler. One of his catchphrases was “I’ll get you for this, Butler” – one he was happy to repeat, according to the manager of the nursing home where he lived out his final years. The popular sitcom ran from 1969 to 1973 and spawned three big-screen spin-offs: On the Buses, Mutiny on the Buses and Holiday on the Buses. Lewis’s other sitcoms included Don’t Drink the Water, On the Buses’ short-lived, Spain-based sequel, and the BBC’s railway-themed Oh, Mr Beeching!

Lewis played “Smiler” in Last of the Summer Wine for almost 20 years He also appeared as Clem “Smiler” Hemmingway in more than 130 episodes of Last of the Summer Wine, starting in 1988 and continuing until 2007. Lewis wrote Sparrers (later Sparrows) Can’t Sing, a success for Littlewood’s Theatre Workshop that gave Barbara Windsor one of her most notable early roles. Peter Lewis, the actor’s nephew, said his uncle’s health had gradually deteriorated in recent years but that he had kept his spirits up right until the end. “He still had his sense of humour, very much so,” said Rashid Ebrahimkhan, manager of the Cambridge Nursing Home. “He was very resilient until the last.” On the Buses – The “L” Bus Stephen Lewis Stephen Lewis (17 December 1926 – 12 August 2015) [3] was an English actor, comedian, director, screenwriter and playwright. In his early stage career he used the name Cato but after writing Sparrers Can’t Sing he was urged by his agent to use his real name.

[4] [ non-primary source needed ] He is best known for his roles as Inspector Cyril “Blakey” Blake in the LWT sitcom On the Buses , Clem “Smiler” Hemmingway in Last of the Summer Wine and Harry Lambert in BBC Television’s Oh, Doctor Beeching! . Lewis was born at All Saints Maternity Hospital, in Poplar, London on 17 December 1926.and began his career as a merchant seaman , but was persuaded to go to a performance by the Theatre Workshop , under their director Joan Littlewood . It was common, after these performances, to invite members of the audience to meet the cast. He was invited to an audition and landed the part; he left the sea, becoming a member of the company, and made his West End debut with the transfer of Brendan Behan ‘s The Hostage in 1958. [5] In 1960 he wrote Sparrers Can’t Sing with the Theatre Workshop, which was made into the film Sparrows Can’t Sing (1963), starring Barbara Windsor , Roy Kinnear and Lewis himself.

From 1969 Lewis starred in his best remembered role as Blakey (catch phrase “I ‘ate you Butler”) in the British sitcom On the Buses , which ran for 74 half-hour episodes and spawned three films, On the Buses (1971), Mutiny on the Buses (1972) and Holiday on the Buses (1973); he co-wrote 12 episodes with fellow star Bob Grant (conductor Jack Harper). While the lead character Reg Varney played a character intended to be significantly younger than himself, Lewis was made-up to look much older than his actual age, being only 42 when the programme began. A spin-off series, Don’t Drink the Water (1974–75), ran for two series. This featured Blakey retiring to Spain with his sister, Dorothy ( Pat Coombs ). In the 1990s Lewis’s character Blakey (or a very similar-looking character) appeared regularly on Jim Davidson’s version of The Generation Game on BBC1. He also appeared in Manhunt in a rare straight and villainous role, with Peter Barkworth and Alfred Lynch .

His other films include A Prize of Arms (1962), Negatives (1968), Staircase (1969) with Richard Burton and Rex Harrison , Some Will, Some Won’t (1969), The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins (1971), The Last Remake of Beau Geste (1977), Personal Services (1987) and The Krays (1990). He also appeared in two British sex comedies, Adventures of a Taxi Driver (1975) and Adventures of a Plumber’s Mate (1978), both directed by Stanley Long . In 1988 he took on one of his longest-running roles, playing the ironically-named “Smiler” Hemingway in the BBC sitcom Last of the Summer Wine . The character recurred in occasional episodes for 17 years before ill health forced Lewis to leave the series in 2007.[ citation needed ] In 1995, Lewis played Harry Lambert, the signalman in the BBC pilot of sitcom Oh, Doctor Beeching! , which ran to two further series.

Lewis also appeared as a guest in sitcoms such as One Foot in the Grave , 2point4 Children and Father, Dear Father . He also played the character of Alf, a comedy writer, in the second series of The All New Alexei Sayle Show (1995). He died peacefully in his home at 1.50am on Wednesday 12 August 2015. Television roles Comedy Sketches and Moments Every Child Should Know | East of the M60 East of the M60 Children , Comedy , Comics , Education , English Language , Film , Sitcoms , Situation Comedy , Sketch Shows , Sketches , Television , Theatre mancunian1001 Going beyond ‘Why did the chicken cross the road’ A certain philistine education minister may greet me with unpleasantries for suggesting a certain amount of sketches that every child should learn prior to leaving school. With fewer families sitting around a television set in front of the same programmes, the shared experience is diminished. Which is no good if future generations are oblivious to the joys of Monty Python’s Flying Circus. Unless of course siblings or parents have the series on DVD or via Netflix.

Which is also a real shame because of Britain’s rich comedic legacy (and the aforementioned education minister may agree with me to some extent). To be truthfully honest, I never really understood comedy sketches properly till my teens. I understood slapstick, beloved of children’s comedies like Rentaghost, Chucklevision and The Sooty Show (yes, Sooty is still a legend in my book – up with Del Boy Trotter, Father Dougal Maguire and Brian Potter). I understood satire from my early teens, and I didn’t understand – properly – what a joke was prior to reaching seven years of age. Yet in 1987, I brought the house down at Tameside Theatre with this joke in front of Jim Bowen: What goes ’99 clunk, 99 clunk’? A centipede with a wooden leg. The stage didn’t faze me, being in front of a near capacity audience during Robinson Crusoe. At around that time, I started to understand the more obvious jokes – courtesy no less, from the jokes section of Uncle Ben’s column in the Stalybridge and Dukinfield Reporter. Oh, and a certain school in West Didsbury oft mentioned on this blog.

If future generations are unable to understand certain sketches, or even the basic tenets of joke telling, what hope is there for the future Eddie Brabens, John Cleeses, David Renwicks, Caroline Ahernes and James Cordens of this world? * * * Act I: Basic Tenets of Joke Telling Before anybody asks if there’s such thing as a new joke, well I can safely say there is no such thing as a new joke. A lot of modern jokes are old jokes, though adapted for present situations. Any music hall joke on the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway could easily be adapted to read ‘Northern Rail’ or ‘Transpennine Express’. The average joke tends to feature any one or more of the following elements: Word play: sometimes with a degree of lateral thinking or use of punning; Satirical elements: maybe with the odd popular cultural reference.

Could easily be changed to refer to present day celebrities, politicians and local figures; Double entendre: the odd bit of cheekiness within a word or phrase with a double meaning; Shaggy dog stories: whereby the audience’s expected punchline differs from the one actually heard or read; ‘Knock Knock’ jokes: often reliant on word play, though reception of the joke could vary according to regional accents; ‘Doctor Doctor’ jokes: reliant on person A stating a supposed ailment, often with a humorous reply from the second person; ‘Waiter…’ jokes: see also ‘Doctor Doctor’ jokes section: retread of above style of jokes only with issues concerning food, drink or poor service; ‘There’s an Englishman, Irishman and a Scotsman…’ jokes: fairly popular in the less politically correct 1970s and 1980s, depending on one person in the joke – often the Irishman – doing something daft. Practical Jokes If you’re familiar with children’s comedy shows, comics like The Beano, or some of the clips on You’ve Been Framed, you may well have come across the practical joke.

For example, this could mean something simple like putting a bag of flour on a door, hoping an unwitting accomplice enters caked in the stuff. Or, it could be something more complex like the stunts seen on Candid Camera and Beadle’s About. Candid Camera was based on a early format designed for radio, known as Candid Microphone. This was followed by People Are Funny, a televised precursor. Typical pranks would include getting people to drive a car with no engine, or hoodwinking viewers into thinking they were eating a goldfish from a bowl (when it was actually a carrot). Beadles About, in a nutshell, was Candid Camera turned up to eleven. The pranks were more elaborate, with its most famous one involving an alien in Dorset (1996). And of course, even the greatest comedians were privy to playing the odd practical joke. The legendary Tommy Cooper tipped a taxi driver by saying ‘have a drink on me’. Instead of a crispy pound note, he gave him an unused tea bag. Slapstick Need I say more: slapstick is a bastard offspring of the practical joke. Or rather, it is often the practical joke played to its simplest level.

Sometimes, foreign objects (such as a banana skin on a a pavement) could provide the humour, as could defective equipment. Likewise with buckets of water, custard pies or gunge tanks. Though slapstick is often a staple of young children’s comedy programmes, it was also used to good effect in Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em. Plus, Frank Spencer (played by Michael Crawford) did all the stunts himself. Malapropisms Sometimes, the malaprop would make for part of a joke. This was used to good effect by Hylda Baker as Nellie Pledge in Nearest and Dearest, and by Arthur Bostrom as Officer Crabtree in ‘Allo ‘Allo. A malaprop would usually be the mispronunciation of a certain world, or a wrong phrase uttered for comic effect. For example, when he or she is meant to say ‘Sean Connery’, he or she says ‘Sean Coronary’ instead. Or, the malaprop could focus on one person’s inability to pronounce certain letters. A seminal example of this appears in the Only Fools and Horses episode entitled Stage Fright. Del Boy pairs his beloved Raquel with another singer called Tony Angelino at a night club.

Whilst performing the duet, it turns out that Mr Angelino (played by Philip Pope – who also composed the music for Not The Nine O’Clock News and Spitting Image) couldn’t pronounce his Rs. So ‘Crying’ was ‘Cwying’. This was summed up to great effect when Raquel and Rodney returned to Nelson Mandela House: Raquel: …Please Welease Me, Congwatulations, and The Gween Gween Gwass of Home. Rodney: And that was followed by a medley of Wock and Woll! Del Boy: Shut up Wodney! * * * Act II: Comedy Sketches Every Child Should Know From my past experience, I have suggested a number of sketches which every child should know. (Please note, this section contains spoilers). ‘ Fork Handles ‘ (The Two Ronnies, BBC 1976): four candles or fork handles? This sketch featuring Ronnie Barker was seen as a precursor to the highly successful sitcom Open All Hours (BBC 1976 – 1985). It shows in just under seven minutes how confusing our pronunciation and command of the English language can.

The shopkeeper tries to offer the customer four candles when all he wants is fork handles. ‘ The Dead Parrot Sketch ‘ (Monty Python’s Flying Circus, BBC 1971): what does this sketch tell you about? How not to complain about a defective item? Several words to describe ‘dead’? That Bolton is not a palindrome? Well, all three points are correct. ‘ Nice Video, Shame About The Song ‘ (Not The Nine O’Clock News, BBC 1982): with the rise of music videos, Messrs Atkinson, Smith, Rhys Jones and Pamela Stephenson parodied such songs were style came before substance. This was well observed in… ‘ Little Mouse ‘ (Look Around You, BBC 2006): the second series of Look Around You had a spoof 1980s video in its first episode, with equally pretentious lyrics as the NtNOCN clip. Even the obligatory country house as seen in 1980s music videos. For younger children, this is a better clip to show instead of ‘Nice Video, Shame About The Song’.

‘ All The Right Notes… ‘ (Morecambe and Wise, BBC 1971): their 1971 Christmas special had among its guests the famous conductor Andre Previn, erroneously referred to as Andre Preview. Eric Morecambe attempts to play Grieg’s Piano Concerto, with all the wrong notes. After Mr Previn asks him what he was playing, Eric’s reply and stance was faultless. ‘ Kitten Kong ‘ (The Goodies, BBC 1972): the screwball comedy series featuring Tim Brooke-Taylor, Bill Oddie and Graeme Garden brought us some wonderful moments, often with a nod to some contemporary issues. This sketch sees the trio form a veterinary clinic with a patient being a 23-year old kitten called Twinkle. A growth serum sees the kitten wreaking havoc. Bee Gees Sketch (The Kenny Everett Video Show, ITV/Thames Television 1979): required viewing among late-1970s and early-1980s families was the one-time Capital Radio DJ’s comedy show.

His most memorable sketch was a skit on the Gibb Brothers, with close attention played to the massive chew sets (sorry, couldn’t resist it!) and falsetto vocals, by means of a special kit. A second sketch involving the group was just as memorable. ‘ Two Soups ‘ (Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV, BBC 1984): a real team effort courtesy of an inept waitress played by Julie Walters, and a couple (Celia Imrie and Duncan Preston) trying to order soup. ‘ Spam Spam Spam ‘ (Monty Python’s Flying Circus. BBC 1970): hysterical could be quite an understatement with this clip concerning a processed pork product! Courtesy of this clip, Spam became a byword for the repetitive use of any given words or phrases. Especially so in a digital context, which was later used to denote unethical website promotion practices and the peddling of dodgy goods. * * * Act III: Comedy Moments Every Child Should Know As well as the sketches, there are some comedic moments which have been entwined into our culture.

For instance, anyone trying to sell bottled tap water (as Coca Cola once fell foul of with Dasani) is often associated with an episode of Only Fools and Horses where Del Trotter tries to sell Peckham Spring water. Being as there are so many magic comedy moments, I have in terms of brevity only included a short number. Otherwise, this article would grate. Only Fools And Horses (BBC One, 1989): Del Falls Over Bar: in the first episode of the sixth series, entitled Yuppy Love, Del Boy shuns The Old Nags Head for a wine bar. Shortly after Trigger arrives, Del Boy tries to chat up one of the female customers. Cue hilarity moments after. Fawlty Towers (BBC, 1975): Basil Fawlty Lashes Out On Car: after a botched attempt at staging a gourmet night, our short tempered proprietor gives his ‘trusty’ red car ‘a damned good thrashing’ with a branch. To comic effect. Hi-De-Hi!

(BBC One, 1988): Peggy Ollerenshaw Becomes A Yellowcoat: after a successful eight year run set in the Maplins camp in Crimpton-on-Sea, Perry and Croft decided to end the series by turning its ‘potty chalet maid’ (played by Su Pollard) into a Yellowcoat. This fulfilled an ambition she had since the start of the series in 1980. The ‘Goodnight Campers’ singing near the end saw the cast in real tears. Tommy Cooper’s Glass Bottle Trick (ITV/Thames Television): one of the greatest magicians, and a few bottles, seemingly coming out of nowhere. Dad’s Army (BBC, 31 October 1973): ‘Don’t Tell Him, Pike…!’: in the episode entitled The Deadly Attachment, our heroes are sent to guard a German U-Boat crew till a military escort arrives. A chance encounter with the Germans and the platoon sees Captain Mainwaring added to the U-Boat captain’s list for referring to Adolf Hitler as a ‘tinpot dictator’. Then Pike sings a song in response and is added to the list.

Cue Captain Mainwaring’s reaction. * * * Act IV: Comedy Quotes and Catchphrases Every Child Should Know: If you happen to be a thirty-something (like myself) parent (unlike I) and have a knack of alienating your offspring with choice quotes from television programmes and film, don’t panic. This little list below is a selection of well known quotes from comedy and light entertainment productions. ‘Izzy whizzy, let’s get busy’ – The Sooty Show (when performing a magic trick, voiced by Harry Corbett, Matthew Corbett or Richard Cadell). ‘Lovely jubbly’ – Del Boy, Only Fools and Horses (his way of saying ‘all is well’. The word ‘jubbly’ comes from a pyramid style shaped ice lolly). ‘Good moaning’ – Officer Crabtree, ‘Allo ‘Allo (the French policeman in the said sitcom, played by Arthur Bostrom who always mixed his letters up). ‘I ‘Ate You, Butler’ – Inspector Cyril Blake, aka Blakey, On The Buses (the authoritarian inspector played by Stephen Lewis, in reference to one of the main characters [Stan Butler] played by Reg Varney).

‘Don’t panic…’ – Corporal Jones, Dad’s Army (often used by the character played by Clive Dunn to reassure his fellow comrades). ‘A-HA!’ – Alan Partridge, Knowing Me Knowing You (often used at the start of the spoof chat featuring Alan Partridge, played by Steve Coogan). ‘Just like that!’ – Tommy Cooper (hilarious magician extraordinaire – need I say more). ‘Eee I can crush a grape’ – Stu Francis (Bolton born comedian, one-time presenter of Crackerjack and Ultra Quiz during the 1980s). ‘There’s somebody at the door!’ – Rod Hull, The Pink Windmill (the aforementioned phrase said by Rod Hull would often be repeated by a half a dozen children from the Central Television Workshop. They eagerly await a mystery caller, though the arrival of Grotbags or Croc are just as likely). ‘I’m in charge!’ – Sir Bruce Forsyth, Sunday Night at the London Palladium (though many people think of Strictly Come Dancing or Play Your Cards Right with Brucie, he is an all round entertainer and comedian too).

‘It’s a cracker!’ – Frank Carson (the late great comedian who rose to fame courtesy of Granada Television’s The Comedians, and later seen on most family orientated shows). ‘I didn’t get where I am today…’ – C.J., The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (Reggie Perrin’s boss played by John Barron, often in response to his inferior and prefacing for instance ‘…by being upset by being ‘sent to Birmingham”). * * * And Finally… Feel free to add to the list or comment on the existing selection of quotes, comedy moments and seminal sketches which every child should know. If there’s any American comedy programmes worth adding to the list, feel free to add them. (Whereas my rote knowledge on UK comedy is Barclays Premier League, my knowledge of US comedies is in the Manchester League Reserve Division). S.V., 04 June 2014. @ russty_russ @ A80sC @ 80sNostalgia Also Fanfare Records, @ SimonCowell 's first label he worked for. 9 hours ago A Flat White at Café Nerd.

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Question: “I hate you Butler!” was one of the catchphrases of Inspector Cyril Blake played by Stephen Lewis in which sitcom?
Answer: On The Buses